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Guild Wars 2's first expansion Heart of Thorns will allow players to set up their own majestic guild halls, which function as a hub for your merry band of players from which you can launch missions, challenge other guilds, or just have a bit of a laugh.

Developer ArenaNet demonstrated the new feature in a trailer at the E3 PC Gaming Show yesterday. GW2's signature soaring architectural style makes for some very good-looking guild hangouts.

Last year all that power went to ArenaNet's head, and the developer went and blew up Lion’s Arch, the most prominent capital city in Guild Wars 2, as part of the game's ongoing Living Storyline.

Now that the villainous Scarlet Briar (she tore the place up with a great big drill mounted on an airship) has been defeated, however, it's time to rebuild. Guild Wars 2 players have been asked to help with that process.

With the launch of its first expansion, Heart of Thorns, Guild Wars 2 will add several elite specialisations; these are new talent trees that give your character access to new weapons, skills and traits.

For the Necromancer class, that's the Reaper. Rather than mess around with wands and sceptres, these guys prefer to get up close and personal with a greatsword, stealing health from their enemies with drain attacks.

The first expansion pack for Guild Wars 2 is called Heart of Thorns. Announced during PAX South, the expansion follows the core game's Living World storyline over to Maguuma Jungle, where big bad dragon Mordremoth is up to no good.

Heart of Thorns will also add a new 'Mastery' system for taking your character beyond level 80, and a brand new profession, the Revenant.